Microsoft pens playful doctor's note for Xbox One gamers

Planning to take Friday off to play with your new Xbox One? Microsoft has posted a doctor's note that might just convince a game-loving employer to give you a break.

As the next-generation Xbox One preps to sail into stores on Friday, hot on the heels of Sony's new PlayStation 4, Microsoft is likely expecting and certainly hoping that throngs of customers will line up to buy the new console. Eager Xbox gamers may even skip out on work for the chance to pick up, hook up, and play with the Xbox One. And it's for those people that Microsoft's ersatz doctor's note is intended.

Signed by Microsoft's famous Major Nelson, the note reads in full:

To whom it may concern,

Due to the Zombie Flu your employee will not be able to fulfill the scheduled commitment he/she has with you. Because of the severity of this condition I'm prescribing a heavy dose of Xbox One. He needs to destroy zombies.

After a thorough examination, I've concluded that the all-in-one entertainment system is the only cure for the aforementioned condition.

This treatment may take anywhere from 1-3 days to work and will require years of accumulating achievements thereafter. If the patient is disrupted with work, I will have to double the prescribed amount of Xbox One.

If used effectively, Xbox One can help relieve the patient's entertainment deprivation and will have an increased state of happiness at all times.

You can save the note as a PDF or e-mail it directly to your employer.

The ploy might just work on an employer who's fanatical about games and has a huge sense of humor. How many of you out there would be able to pull off a trick like this?

The successor to the Xbox 360, which debuted eight years ago, the $499 Xbox One has a vaulting ambition to be not just a gaming console, but also the hub for all your living room entertainment.

This article originally appeared on CNET.